Playing golf can bring you some impressive health and wellbeing benefits. This increasingly popular sport is actually a powerhouse of all the core ingredients that doctors recommend for optimum physical and mental health and wellbeing.

It’s better than a fast and furious gym Golf burns more calories than you’d think: playing an 18-hole game of golf burns at least 900 calories. Golf also combines all the known weight-loss benefits of walking combined with the toning and muscle strengthening benefits of swinging the clubs and carrying or pulling your golf bag. During the average game of golf you can walk around five to six miles.

It brings people closer togetherGolf is a great way to meet new people – especially if you have recently moved into a new area or town or are travelling abroad. Wherever there’s a golf course, a host of rewarding new friendships awaits you. Friendships that are likely to flourish, thanks to the convivial atmosphere of the game itself and the ready-made social life at the clubhouse afterwards.

It helps combat stress“Golf really does tick all the boxes for things you need for optimal wellbeing,” says psychologist and coach Miriam Akhtar from www.positivepsychologytraining.co.uk . “It offers some important feel-good factors, such as an active social life and regular physical activity of the best kind – what we call ‘green exercise’ outside in nature.”

It’s good for your heartGolf’s powerful combination of stress-busting exercise, fresh air and camaraderie can help promote long term heart health. It can reduce blood pressure and raised cholesterol and cut your risk of stroke and diabetes - especially if combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle.

It can help you live longerGolf’s unique combination of outdoor exercise and social interaction can help you live a longer, healthier life. Playing golf can help you live longer – and make those extra years healthier. Indeed, playing the sport can increase your life expectancy by up to five years, according to a study from the Karolinska Institute, in Sweden. Regular walking, such as the four hours it typically takes to play a round of golf, can also help ward off dementia.